XM PCR Control Program for Mac OS X 49
nsayer writes "I'm a fan of XM Radio. The least expensive XM radio you can get is the XM PCR, which is powered and controlled over a USB connection to a host PC (the audio does not, however, come back across the USB connection. It's just got an analog line-out jack). Unfortunately, the only software they give you is for Windows. But fortunately, it's been reverse engineered, so I was able to write MacXM. At this point, it is very stable and easy to use, and so far as I know it is the only XM radio software that integrates with the iTunes music store (click a button and iTunes pops up with a search for the current song title and artist)."
XM radio (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:XM radio (Score:2, Interesting)
From what I can see, XM doesn't stream online (only samples of their stations), and Sirius requires that you use WiMP.
Both of them should be able to offer attractive alteratives to the Live365 stations in iTunes, give the public a chance to try their service, and seriously consider whether they should layout the $ for a car/home/boat receiver.
Re:XM radio (Score:4, Interesting)
I agree 100%. If they've already put together the service, why not make it available to as many folks as possible? Why require this funky dongle, instead of just an MP3 stream that I can get anywhere that I have internet access?
If the streams were good enough, yeah, I might be willing to pay the $10/month or whatever. But I sure as hell am not going to buy more hardware. I suppose it's there to prevent rebroadcast of their signal--but that would take more work to circumvent than I think most people would be willing to put forth.
Re:XM radio (Score:4, Informative)
Re:XM radio (Score:4, Insightful)
The station I listen to the most is public-supported WFUV [wfuv.org]. Most of the other stations in NYC are horrible. If I'm not listening to 'FUV, I'm listening to my iPod.
Satellite radio, meets the gap by offering the breadth of programming that is absent in today's commercial radio. However, as a new technology there is a steep adoption curve, and with all of the capital costs involved, subscriber base is the most important measurement. Instead of charging for each unit, they may be better off charging per customer, and allow them to use multiple units (what is their increased marginal cost - I can only listen to one radio at a time). Streaming via iTunes could be another revenue stream. I can sample their service, without having to spend a lot of money for a receiver. If I like it, chances are, I'm more inclined to put a receiver in my car.
I can't recall where I read it, but somewhere I recall reading that Apple users are more inclined to embrace new technologies, and a great percentage of Apple users have broadband versus Windows users.
If they are using AAC, there is no excuse to use the best Mac music client.
Re:XM radio (Score:3, Informative)
He had some thoughts on the format and quality of XM streams.
Re:XM radio (Score:2)
Well, frankly, that's the wrong attitude. They aren't "protecting their profit stream"; rather, they're alienating and diminishing the very stream that they want to protect.
I'm sure it's a great service. But $70, the inconvenience and compatibility issues of a dongle, AND a monthly? The question is: what are they going to do with these satellites if they fail to get a subscriber base?
I'm glad you like them, really. I hope they do well; well enough, in fact, to hand Clear Channel's ass to them and d
Re:XM radio (Score:3, Informative)
Re:XM radio (Score:2)
Re:XM radio (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:XM radio (Score:3, Insightful)
If I was selling hardware, and someone reverse-engineered it to provide support to an alternate platform, I'd be very happy indeed (as I'm not an anon^H^H^H^Hpig in shit, I can't comment on the comparison). If I would normally sell N units, and having someone else write software that changes that to N+M, why wouldn't I be happy?
And it turns out that some folks have actually spoken to folks in authority at XM, and they're quite happy indeed to find that they've created a device t
Brushed Metal (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Brushed Metal (Score:2, Interesting)
1. Power should not be a check box. It should be a button with some kind of status light on or next to it.
2. Mute and Power buttons should be near the volume control.
3. Volume should be labeled.
4. Now playing box should be more distinguishable.
Again, I think the developer did a fantastic job, but there's always room for improvement. If I
Re:Brushed Metal (Score:3, Insightful)
3. Volume should be labeled.
Um, there is no volume control. I think you're looking at the song rating slider.
4. Now playing box should be more distinguishable.
Not sure I understand what you're saying here. But let's take this conversation over to the bug and/or feature request section of the project rather than continue here.
But For How Long ... ? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:But For How Long ... ? (Score:2, Interesting)
All of these little monthly utilities add up quickly. Plus, there is the concern that it is cheap now but will become more and more like cable as things progress.
No surprise people are not willing to give up free broadcast radio just yet.
Sirius radio (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Sirius radio (Score:1)
The commericials on XM are very short. I've yet to hear one longer than 30 seconds, before it's back to music. The channels I listen to don't have them anyways. =)
Re:Sirius radio, much better shape? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Sirius radio (Score:2)
quoting Andy Ihnatko: [cwob.com] (answering complaints about his XM preference)
Java/Cocoa App Great! (Score:1)
Re:Java/Cocoa App Great! (Score:3, Informative)
Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:4, Insightful)
This application is interesting because it is integrated with another application (iTunes). It is the second such "Integrated Applicaiton" application recently, as Quicken 2004 [thinksecret.com] will integrate with iCal as well.
We have had this in part for a while - click a Mailto: tag and Outlook Express launches - but I am talking about more tight integration.
I am a huge fan of this type of integration. One of my favorite features of Apple's "Mail" is that when iChat is running, and a person who's e-mail address and IM address are in "Address Book" is on-line, there is a little green icon in "Mail" that lets you know so instead of sending them an e-mail, you have the option to click the icon ("iCon") and chat in iChat. Three apps, iChat, Address Book, and Mail, working together to deliver functionality none could deliver otherwise.
So are we seeing a trend? Is this in kind with other great technologies like Web Objects (what MS has rebranded as
Whatever it is, I would like to see more of it. In what other ways could applicaitons be more tightly integrated amongst eachother?
An Apple a day keeps the BSD away.
Re:Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:3, Informative)
But you are right in that integration is (hopefully) the way of the future. It's happened more than a couple of times that I wanted to make something, and ended up building it around an existing program like the above.
And for those who do not know, almost all of the iApps have hooks so
Re:Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:5, Informative)
> products for the end user's convenience, they're
> innovators and geniuses, best thing since sliced bread,
> etc... But when Microsoft does the same thing, they're
> abusive monopolists who crush the little guy.
Apple doesn't integrate their apps into the OS. Apple integrates the many apps together with publically accessible APIs, so that other people may do the same.
Plus many times when they come up with some useful functionality, they put it into the API so that others may profit from their work.
Re:Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:2)
Amen! My entire home automation system is nothing but a few Mac apps bound together with AppleScript: XTension, the software that manages the X10 modules; MacCallerID which logs incoming phone calls; WhistleBlower, which monitors the services running on my machines and alerts me if any go down; and X2Web, which works in conjunction with webserver software to
Not so fast... Don't think you mean "integrated" (Score:3, Interesting)
Careful how you bash Microsoft. It's fun, and I'm using Jaguar this minute to post, but nobody does a better job exposing APIs to the public than Microsoft and COM.
Guess how long it takes to make a web browser in Visual Basic 6? Seconds if you know what control to use (Microsoft Internet Control) -- and seconds if you don't; there's a pre-built form you can add from the Project-Add Form menu i
Re:Is this the future of the "integrated" app? (Score:1)
So much for the marketing people (Score:4, Funny)
I love it. $50 says Apple and XM spent weeks having their Little People negotiate over it all...and this guy's just gone and done it :-)
Re:So much for the marketing people (Score:4, Informative)
Several additions to Mac OS 7.5 came directly from shareware programs. The Menu Bar Clock was originally SuperClock! which was distributed with a Macworld book. The submenus under the Apple Menu were also available as a shareware add-on, as were the PopupFolders (when you double-click on a folder and hold down the mouse button, the folder opens up up in a window right under the pointer)
Re:So much for the marketing people (Score:1)
I have XM in each of my vehicles and have been waiting on getting one for the house until a device came out that I could control with the iMac I have dedicated to home automation. I ordered one within five minutes of seeing the screen shots of the application...time to dig out the applescript book again!
Stream XM Radio (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Stream XM Radio (Score:1)